Next up was the IDX choice. IDX being arguably the most important decision we saw a lot of posts on the subject, and some great reviews of the best products out there. In the end the steering committee made the decision to use Real Geeks for the sites.

While IDX choices were debated we talked about options for a development framework, including Genesis (Studio Press), Thesis and Headway. A quick five days later we got the steering committee decision to base the sites on the Genesis framework.

After that we moved on to wireframing the site, and Drew put up a couple of initial ideas for discussion. There was a lot of discussion on whether to go with a very simple, minimalist design, or to go all out and included everything a home page could want. In the end we decided that since the minimalist design is basically a stripped down version of the full design we would develop our custom theme so that everything below the fold is optional. You can see the final design in the comments here.

Now that the wireframe is complete we are looking for a designer to design the home page for www.theclearwaterbeachlife.com, from which we will have our custom theme developed. We have posted a job on elance.com, are currently accepting proposals from designers, and will make a decision on who to hire later this week.

Can you comment on choosing
wpengine for web hosting, are their servers, faster, offer more storage space, etc./? What is the reason on not using a Host Gator or other equivalent company, who are much cheaper per month.? I

Will we get some visibility into the process of choosing a designer? Outsourcing can be a blessing that quickly may turn into a curse. So i personally am curious how you worded your post on elance, what criteria you use to pick a designer, etc.

http://www.baconrealtygroup.com/ Daniel Bacon

The text from the project description is too lengthy to post here, but some of the criteria used were: the designer or company had to have at least 20 completed projects on elance; they must show an average review of 4.7 stars or above; and their portfolio must contain a significant number of website designs that appealed to us.

We explained the site design thoroughly, asked for live sites they designed where we could obtain references, and explained that since we are developing as a group we would need consistent updates for discussion.

We received 20 proposals, and hid 13 for various reasons. We picked a designer from the remaining seven based on the quality of designs, number of developed sites, responsiveness, and interest in working with us.

If you would like more info on the elance project description email me.

Contributors & Authors

Sam DeBord is a former management consultant and web developer who writes for for Inman News and REALTOR® Magazine. He is Managing Broker for Seattle Homes Group with Coldwell Banker Danforth, and a Director for WA REALTORS® and Seattle King County REALTORS®. You can find his team at SeattleHome.com and SeattleCondo.com.

Principal Broker and creator of OahuRE.com, one of the most popular websites on Oahu. I enjoy working with PHP, MySQL, jQuery, JavaScript, HTML5, Ajax and more. I am always looking to improve my Website and business. When not working, I enjoy spending time with my family and doing anything on or in the Ocean.

Mike is the Managing Editor and handles business development for GEB. He started his Internet journey in 1995 as President of an ISP focused on the RE industry. He has been involved with several RE tech ventures. He helped establish the REBarcamp unconference movement and has been a speaker, panelist and moderator at several RE conferences over the years.

For Caroline, her work with Giveback Homes provides her with the dream opportunity to provide safe and adequate housing for families in need, while also revolutionizing the real estate industry.
Prior to Giveback Homes, Caroline worked at TOMS, the business that pioneered the one for one model by giving shoes to children in need, and it was here she met Blake Andrews, founder of Giveback Homes.

David Feldberg is the Broker|Owner of Coastal Real Estate Group in Newport Beach. David sells real estate in most of Southern California but specializes in the coastal communities of Newport Beach and Huntington Beach. David also serves on the technology task force with his local association of realtors.